"There are few things quite so enjoyable as a model dish..."

"There are a few things quite so enjoyable as a model dish cooked with sincerity and respect," Nigel Slater writes deferentially to coq au vin, a classic French dish that has warmed endless bellies during cold weather.

This week, our contributing cook Danielle writes about her experiences preparing coq au vin (with an unexpected ingredient). Her recipe is respectful of the tradition and does not attempt to doctor it up with contemporary fixings that frequently wreck classic recipes. The initial preparation may seem intimidating, but she has outlined the steps clearly for a seamless result. Coq au vin is a convivial dish comforting in a way you want to tucker in unhesitatingly and then utter contented gurgles of satisfaction. What can go wrong when you add the herb-flecked egg noodles, the recipe of which we provide here, and drink with a glass of a good French red.

With their intense colors, citrus are our colorful tonics for the monochrome white and gray wintry landscapes. They remind us that warmer climates exist elsewhere, beckoning us to dream of, and if time and money allowed, book online a tropical getaway from the cold. Like a bejeweled maharajah in Myanmar rubies, the blood orange tart entices our senses fully. Its raspberry tang gives a sharpness to its sweet marzipan filling and crumbly shortbread crust. You'll find difficult to avoid seconds.

~Eric